Blackberry Township’s post office opened in 1840, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #331 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Blackberry Township was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 5 buildings. Below: maps from 1932 on and the census since 2000.
The Blackberry Township post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, La Fox (1836), Blackberry (1840) and Blackberry Station (1854), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 5,950 in 20002020 census: 17,329186 years
How historic is Blackberry Township?
B
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Blackberry Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Blackberry Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Blackberry Township is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #331 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Blackberry Township’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Blackberry Township’s 3.4 sits above most of its state (71% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Blackberry Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Blackberry Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Blackberry Township is located in Kane County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,329 and it contained 5,962 housing units. Most of its land use is agricultural.
Its first post office opened in 1840. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 15,090 to 17,329 (+15%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Blackberry Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1932Geneva sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Blackberry Township.
On the National Register
3 historic places in Blackberry Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Blackberry Township post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Blackberry Township rank for history?
Blackberry Township is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #331 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Blackberry Township?
Three places: the Stearns-Wadsworth House (listed 1982), the Potter and Barker Grain Elevator (2016) and the George M. Crego Farm (2022).
How old are the homes in Blackberry Township?
2% of Blackberry Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 2002.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
